Friday, June 1, 2012

Nepalese honey hunters

Just buzz-ness as usual... Fearless Nepalese honey hunters scale 250ft cliffs in pursuit of their prize - while under attack from the world's largest bees

For most of us, a pot of golden honey is only a supermarket away.But for the Rai people of Nepal, gathering the sweet stuff involves a death-defying climb on home-made ladders - and a four-hour mission to extract the precious nectar.To make matters worse, the daredevil hunters come under attack from swarms of the world's largest bee while perching 250ft up the side of a cliff.The honey seekers fashion ladders out of braided bamboo to access their prize, the toxic rhododendron honey produced by the Apis laboriosa bee.With no safety equipment and just a long stick to retrieve the honeycomb, they climb to dizzying heights until a nest has been sighted.When the honey is within their reach, each man spends a painstaking four hours slowly harvesting it by hand.The people from Bung valley leave each spring to brave the cliffs which play host to Apis laboriosa, the world's largest bee.They use sharpened bamboo poles to slice their way through the honeycomb before dropping it to the ground for other members to collect.Their only protection from falls comes from tying their feet to the makeshift bamboo ladders.Helpers light fires at the base of the cliffs in a bid to smoke the bees out, and the gesture inevitably prompts a massive swarm. As every swarm on the cliff will join the offensive, this can mean a 20 minute assault from over a hundred thousand furious bees.Mr Tourneret, from Paris, France, said: 'Despite looking fragile, the bamboo ladders are extremely strong.'I used one to climb up alongside the Rai people and photograph them close up.'Despite wobbling a bit, they feel a lot stronger than a normal metal one we use in the West.'These people are very wise and know how to make nature work in their favour.'Even though it is a dangerous activity, none of them looked at all fazed by the climb and process having been taught the skill by their fathers and their grandfathers before them.'Although it is some of the most sought-after honey in the world, toxic rhododendron is - as the name suggests - poisonous.An incautious consumer can often be left rolling on the ground with agonising cramps.The honey can fetch a huge price in South Korea, but the Rai people prefer not to trade it, believing it has therapeutic powers.